Assignment history

Inventors

• Joseph Bibb Cain: At the time of filing, Joseph Bibb Cain was an inventor for Harris Corp. Typically, an inventor's rights to an invention are retained by the inventor unless a specific contract stipulates that the employer will own the invention, which is common in employment agreements for those hired to invent or if the invention is created within the scope of their job using company resources.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the patent is Harris Corp.

Harris Corp was an American technology company and defense contractor that produced wireless equipment, tactical radios, electronic systems, and antennas for government, defense, emergency service, and commercial sectors. They specialized in surveillance solutions, microwave weaponry, and electronic warfare. Harris Corp merged with L3 Technologies in 2019 to form L3Harris Technologies. L3Harris Technologies is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida.

Assignment timeline

• 2003-03-27 (executed) / recorded 2003-03-27 — Reel 013898/0609
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CAIN, JOSEPH BIBB
  • Assignee: HARRIS CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: BLANKENSHIP, TIMOTHY R., HARRIS CORPORATION, 1025 W NASA BLVD, MS A-11I, MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, 32919
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's interest to the employer at the time of patent application filing.
• 2020-06-05 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-12 — Reel 052853/0153
  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, MERTON ACQUISITION HOLDCO LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: NATHAN A. MUGGE, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022
  • Context: Securitization of assets by multiple LLCs, including Stingray IP Solutions LLC, to Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP.
• 2020-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-25 — Reel 053654/0254
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: KEVIN H. FORTIN, KEVIN H. FORTIN, 1209 ORANGE ST, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, 19801
  • Context: Transfer of interest from Acacia Research Group LLC to Stingray IP Solutions LLC.
• 2020-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-25 — Reel 053654/0254
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: EAGLE TECHNOLOGIES, INC., HARRIS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC., L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Correspondent: KEVIN H. FORTIN, KEVIN H. FORTIN, 1209 ORANGE ST, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, 19801 (This correspondent recurs on Reel 053654/0254 and Reel 053654/0254)
  • Context: Transfer of interest from L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (successor to Harris Corp) to Acacia Research Group LLC.
• 2020-07-08 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-16 — Reel 053748/0503
  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest in Patents
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: NATHAN A. MUGGE, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022 (This correspondent recurs on Reel 052853/0153)
  • Context: Release of security interest by Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP, likely after a debt obligation was satisfied or restructured.
• 2021-11-11 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-23 — Reel 055998/0259
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment to Correct the Assignor Name
  • Assignor: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: NATHAN A. MUGGE, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022 (This correspondent recurs on Reel 052853/0153 and Reel 053748/0503)
  • Context: Corrective assignment related to a previous security agreement, confirming the security interest.
• 2021-11-11 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-23 — Reel 055998/0259
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment to Correct the Assignee Name
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: NATHAN A. MUGGE, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022 (This correspondent recurs on Reel 052853/0153, Reel 053748/0503 and Reel 055998/0259)
  • Context: Corrective assignment related to a previous security agreement, confirming the release of security interest.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 6958986
    2003 : Assigned to Harris Corp
    2020 : Securitized to Starboard Value
         : Assigned to Stingray IP Solutions LLC
         : Assigned to Acacia Research Group LLC
         : Security interest released by Starboard
    2021 : Corrective assignment

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. In 2020, the patent was assigned from L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (the successor to the original operating company, Harris Corp) to Acacia Research Group LLC (Reel 053654/0254). Acacia Research Corporation (the parent company of Acacia Research Group LLC) specializes in patent licensing and enforcement, often through its subsidiaries like Stingray IP Solutions LLC. Stingray IP Solutions LLC is described as a non-practicing entity (NPE) focused on monetizing wireless networking intellectual property.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Acacia Research Group LLC and Stingray IP Solutions LLC are both in the chain. Acacia Research Corporation (parent of Acacia Research Group LLC) is a well-known patent licensing and enforcement company. Stingray IP Solutions LLC is identified as an NPE that has filed patent infringement suits.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Nathan A. Mugge of Kirkland & Ellis LLP appears as the correspondent for the security agreement and subsequent releases/corrective assignments involving Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP and Acacia/Stingray entities (Reel 052853/0153, Reel 053748/0503, Reel 055998/0259). Kevin H. Fortin is also listed for the two assignments recorded on Reel 053654/0254.
4. Cascading transfers — present. Multiple assignments and security agreements occurred in a short period in 2020 (June 5, June 23, June 23, July 8). Specifically, the patent moved from L3Harris Technologies, Inc. to Acacia Research Group LLC and then to Stingray IP Solutions LLC on the same recorded date (2020-06-25), with a security interest granted to Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP around the same time.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While Stingray IP Solutions LLC is a known asserter, the earliest litigation data found for Stingray IP Solutions LLC and this patent family did not specifically reference US6958986. Further investigation into specific litigation filing dates would be needed to definitively confirm if the 2020 transfers were pre-litigation for this particular patent.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Harris Corp merged with L3 Technologies to form L3Harris Technologies, Inc., which then assigned the patent. There is no indication of bankruptcy in this process.
7. Privateering — unclear. While L3Harris Technologies, Inc. transferred the patent to Acacia, it is not definitively stated that Acacia is asserting on L3Harris's behalf against competitors. Further research into specific litigation would be required to confirm privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Stingray IP Solutions LLC, an NPE, and does not involve any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
The presence of multiple strong signals supports a high confidence NPE verdict. The patent was transferred from an operating company (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.) to known patent licensing entities, Acacia Research Group LLC and Stingray IP Solutions LLC, in 2020 (Reel 053654/0254). Stingray IP Solutions LLC is explicitly identified as a non-practicing entity engaged in patent assertions. The rapid succession of assignments and security agreements in 2020, involving a hedge fund (Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP) and multiple shell-like LLCs under the Acacia umbrella, further indicates a monetization-focused strategy.

USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html